Max 9622615Max 9622615

Sylvia 9622618Sylvia 9622618

Prof. Patricia SuProf. Patricia Su

2009/1/82009/1/8

Cultural Values Reflected in Cultural Values Reflected in ChineseChinese & American & American

Television AdvertisementTelevision Advertisement

IntroductionIntroduction

The main components of a culture are the culture’s values, along with its beliefs and customs (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2000).

In the cross-cultural research literature the definition of the term “value” is “an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to alternate modes of conduct or end-state of existence.”

This “enduring belief” provides a broad framework for what is the culturally acceptable way of behaving in certain given situations. Values also act as motivators for action, lifestyle-building, and, what is very important for advertisers, product choices.

The purpose of the studyThe purpose of the study 1. 1. To examine the role of culture in To examine the role of culture in

advertising contents. advertising contents.

2. 2. To provide an understanding of how To provide an understanding of how differences in cultural values between differences in cultural values between Chinese and American could be reflected in Chinese and American could be reflected in the advertising content in these two the advertising content in these two countries. countries.

Literature ReviewLiterature Review

Comparing Chinese and Comparing Chinese and American CulturesAmerican Cultures

Pan and colleagues (1994) summarized the six major differences between the cultural systems of China and the United States :

1. U.S. culture emphasizes "active mastery" in the person-nature relationship, whereas traditional Chinese culture emphasizes "passive acceptance" of fate by seeking harmony with nature.

2. U.S. culture tends to be concerned with external experiences and the world of things, whereas traditional Chinese culture emphasizes inner experiences of meaning and feeling.

3. U.S. culture is characterized by an open view of the world, emphasizing change and movement, whereas traditional Chinese culture is typified by a closed world view, prizing stability and harmony.

4. U.S. culture places primary faith in rationalism and is oriented toward the future, whereas traditional Chinese culture rests on kinship ties and tradition with a historical orientation.

5. U.S. culture emphasizes horizontal dimensions of interpersonal relationships, whereas traditional Chinese culture places more weight on vertical interpersonal relationships.

6. U.S. culture values the individual personality, whereas traditional Chinese culture weights heavily a person's duties to family, clan, and state.

Cultural Values and AdvertisingCultural Values and Advertising

Early studies by Singh and Huang (1962) demonstrate that U.S. print media advertisements are not effective in India, because their appeals run counter to indigenous cultural values.

Unwin (1973) finds that U.S. and international students' responses to advertising are largely influenced by their cultural backgrounds.

MethodologyMethodology

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

What are the differences in the cultural value between Chinese and American commercials?

Do the cultural values reflect in the advertisement content in these two countries (Taiwan and American)?

Research DesignResearch Design

Two participantsQualitative research methodSemi-structured interview Close-end questions and open-end

questions Interview questions (Table 3-1)

ResultsResults

Findings & DiscussionFindings & Discussion

soft-sell appeal veneration elderly/ tradition appeal group consensus

hard-sell appeal individual/ independence appeals

Taiwanese

American

the use of cultural values or commercial appeals was significantly different between the Chinese and the U.S. samples.

hard-sell is traditional U.S.-style commercial appeals, in that U.S. advertisers tend to emphasize more facts about products and suggestions from credible authorities (e.g., experts or celebrities).

Chinese advertisers tend to base their marketing strategy on creating liking of the product, through image and emotional appeals without bombarding the consumers with the "obligatory" facts and proof.

Veneration for the elderly and tradition play an important role in Chinese ideology systems.

Chinese commercials still employ group consensus appeals more than U.S. commercials do.

the United States is a country where individualism resides at the core of its cultural values

In U.S. society, identity is conceived of as individualized; Americans are generally "I-conscious" people.

the findings reveal that the use of status appeal is not significantly different between the Chinese and U.S. commercials.

ConclusionConclusion

Localization versus Globalization

savvy marketers should know how best to add a sufficient amount of local flavor to the global appeals to capture international consumers.

Insofar as Cheng's (1994) study reflects an early stage of capitalism experimentation, Chinese advertising strategy at that point was strictly straightforward and used very little of any commonly known good or effective advertising targeting techniques.